


Your Heart Is In The Stars

by mistaspistol



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-19 16:32:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14877380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistaspistol/pseuds/mistaspistol
Summary: Most people with plastic stars stuck to their ceiling probably have some affinity for astronomy. In Caleb’s case, his friends had taken it upon themselves to decorate his “horribly bland” room his sophomore year of college.Now, in the midst of dead-week his first semester of senior year, Caleb couldn’t help but feel grateful to the tiny pieces of plastic that stared down at him. There was nothing reminiscent of the night sky in their faint greenish glow, but even still they were a comforting reminder that he wouldn’t be facing the coming week alone.





	Your Heart Is In The Stars

Most people with plastic stars stuck to their ceiling probably have some affinity for astronomy. In Caleb’s case, his friends had taken it upon themselves to decorate his “horribly bland” room his sophomore year of college. It’s not difficult to guess who decorated what. His ceiling is an amalgamation of smiley faces, hearts, a few actual constellations, and one surprisingly accurate astral penis. Jester was responsible for the majority of these. The few legitimate constellations that lived there had been the construction of Mollymauk.

 

“As lovely as Jester’s dick is, you ought to have at least a few accurate formations, don’t you think?” Molly had asked Caleb as he stood precariously on a bookshelf. Caleb, for his own part, had only been able to nod with acute anxiety. Someone was bound to break an ankle during this process, or worse, his bookshelf.

 

Now, in the midst of dead-week his first semester of senior year, Caleb couldn’t help but feel grateful to the tiny pieces of plastic that stared down at him. There was nothing reminiscent of the night sky in their faint greenish glow, but even still they were a comforting reminder that he wouldn’t be facing the coming week alone. Even as he thought this, his phone began buzzing for his attention. With a sigh that was no more than habit at this point, Caleb checked his messages.

 

**_The Mighty Nein:_ **

 

_Jester: AAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!! i cant sleep u guys!!!! who wants to get pizzaaaaaaaa_

 

_Beau: its not even 11 who the fuck is trying to sleep anyway_

 

_Fjord: Caleb probably_

 

_Jester: caleb!!!_

 

_Nott: caleb_

 

_Molly: Caleb_

 

Caleb rolled his eyes, endeared more than annoyed. The group knew his habits at this point, and if he wasn’t asleep before ten, he was likely reading, studying, or staring off into nothingness and contemplating his existence. Tonight had been a case of the latter.

 

_Caleb: I am awake. Shouldn’t you all be studying?_

 

_Jester: AAAAAAAAA!!!! CALEB COME GET PIZZA WITH USSSSS!!!!!!!!!!_

_or are you busy readingggggg???_

 

_Caleb: No. I could join you all for pizza if that is what the group wants to do._

 

_Molly: i’m in!_

 

_Fjord: Yeah I could eat_

 

_Beau: pizza or drinks?_

 

_Nott: drinks!!_

 

_Jester: BOTH!!!!!_

 

Oh boy. If drinks were to be involved, Caleb could kiss his bed goodbye tonight. Drunk Caleb usually ended up on the floor of someone else’s apartment, only to wake up with a crick in his neck and a sharp pain behind his eyes.

 

_Caleb: Wouldn’t it be better to have an early night tonight? A sober night, perhaps?_

 

_Beau: booooo. go big or go home caleb_

_sides, if we arnt hung over tmrrw r we really in college?_

 

_Fjord: It’s just gonna be a review day tomorrow anyway nothin too important_

 

_Jester: yaaaa caleb!!!! give into peer pressurreeeeeee_

 

_Molly: but only if you want to._

 

That brought a smile to Caleb’s lips. Molly, in recent months, had overtaken Nott’s position of being the first to jump to his defense in potentially awkward social situations. It wasn’t always warranted, but it was always appreciated.

 

_Molly: consent is key._

 

Leave it to Molly to turn a kind word into an innuendo, however vague it may be.

 

_Jester: pfffffff good one molly!!_

 

_Fjord: So are we all goin or not_

 

_Nott: ill go if caleb does!_

 

_Caleb: I will go._

 

_Jester: for drinks 2???!!!_

 

_Caleb: For drinks too._

 

_Jester: YAAAAYYY!!!!!!!!!!! all thats left is YASHA_

 

_Beau: Yashaaaaaaaaaaa_

 

_Jester: yashaaaaaaaaaaaaaa_

 

_Beau: Yashaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa_

 

_Molly: Yaaaashaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa_

 

_Beau: Y_

_A_

_S_

_H_

_A_

 

_Yasha: hello._

 

_Jester: YASHA!!! ARE YOU GOING WITH US FOR DRINKS AND PIZZA?????_

 

_Yasha: sure._

 

_Jester: YAY!!! thats evrybody!!!!!!!!!! meet u guys on campus corner in 15??????_

 

The next minute or two, Caleb’s phone buzzed with the affirmations of the group. After sending his own reply, he spent a few more minutes staring at his ceiling. His apartment was only a five minute walk from their decided meeting place, so he had some time to be lazy.

 

“Mrrow.” A short chirp was his only warning before an orange tabby lept directly onto his gut. Frumpkin had a sixth sense for whenever Caleb was about to get out of bed, and that was always his favorite time to cuddle.

 

“Hello, you,” Caleb skritched his cat behind the ears. He could suffer to indulge him for a few more minutes at least. No one could blame him for being late if Frumpkin was involved. Even Fjord, who was allergic, had endeared himself to the animal; Caleb had caught the man sneaking Frumpkin bits of table food on more than one occasion. Another buzz from Caleb’s phone notified him that lateness wouldn’t be an option.

 

**_Mollymauk Tealeaf:_ **

 

_Molly: hey. want to meet me outside your apartment and walk over together? ;)_

 

The offer wasn’t particularly unusual. Molly lived in the same apartment complex as Caleb and often walked to classes with him when their schedules lined up. The winky face, however, was new, but not particularly strange. This was Molly, after all, and Molly was prone to flirtation with anyone and everyone.

 

_Caleb: Sure. Give me just a minute. Frumpkin has decided that he requires my immediate attention. I am currently pinned to my bed._

 

_Molly: how scandalous. send pics?_

 

That earned him a small chuckle. Caleb adjusted slightly until he could angle his phone for a decent picture of Frumpkin.

 

_Caleb: [IMG.jpg]_

 

_Molly: aww, no selfie?_

 

_Caleb: I assure you, my cat is far more pleasing to look at right now._

 

_Molly: nonsense. i won’t hear a word of it!_

 

_Caleb_ : _I’m lying down. I will look like a turtle in any picture that I take._

 

_Molly: a very cute turtle, i assure you._

 

It was no secret that Caleb had very low self esteem. Molly had recently taken it upon himself to battle Caleb’s self-confidence with a steady stream of compliments whenever given the opportunity. It was a sweet gesture, but Caleb never knew how to respond to such blatant affection. Most times, like now, he chose to ignore it.

 

_Caleb: I will be out in one minute._

 

_Molly: i await your arrival fervently, darling._

 

With a small grunt of effort and a quiet mewl of displeasure from Fumpkin, Caleb extricated himself from the cat’s capture.

 

“Later, you,” Caleb assured him. Later would most likely be tomorrow evening if Caleb’s hunch about tonight’s trajectory was to be trusted, and it usually could be. Not one to adhere to proper hygiene, Caleb had climbed into in bed in his day clothes, so all he had to do to prepare was grab his coat. It didn’t do much in the way of warmth; it was too threadbare at this point, but Caleb refused to trade it for a better one. It was a comfort thing. Within a minute, Caleb was locking up his apartment, just in time to hear the sound of familiar footsteps.

 

“Ah, Caleb! Fancy seeing you here!” Mollymauk’s grin was a wide as ever, his posture laid back. It was no wonder so many people fawned over him. Caleb often found himself wondering how he’d managed to acquire a friend so clearly out of his league in every possible aspect.

 

“Well, I do live here, as you clearly know,” Caleb quipped, smiling despite himself. Molly’s smile widened in return.

 

“Of course, of course. Well, shall we?” Molly asked, offering his elbow.

 

“Um,” Caleb was not normally one for physical contact, especially when it was in public, but Molly had learned to let Caleb decide when he was comfortable. He’d become very good at reading when he was open to contact and when he was not, but being asked was always something that pleasantly surprised him. Molly gave out affection like street evangelists gave out Jesus pamphlets, but in his case, it was hard to not want it. Molly was magnetic. A couple years ago, Caleb would have declined the offer, but things were different now. Caleb was comfortable.

 

“Yes,” he finally agreed, gingerly taking Molly’s proffered elbow. With that, the two made their way out of the apartment complex and towards the normal meeting place. There were only a couple of places open this late on a weeknight, but their favorite pizza joint was one of them. And it had alcohol, which Caleb was beginning to feel he might need of as he became hyper-aware of Molly’s body next to his own. It wasn’t uncomfortable, per say, but Caleb could not shake the constant awareness that his arm was hooked in another’s and that he could feel Molly’s bodyheat even through his coat. Something in his gut fluttered, and if Caleb concentrated, he could feel each individual finger on Molly’s hand where it had grasped onto his forearm.

 

“Can you believe it? Only one one more round of finals after this one, then we’re done. Think Beau will actually graduate or do you think she’ll drop out at the last minute?” Molly kicked at idle rubble on the sidewalk as he chatted.

 

“Hm,” Caleb contemplated, “well, she’s made it this far. Only time will tell.”

 

“Mm, time indeed!” Molly laughed freely, though Caleb wasn’t sure what was funny. Not that it mattered, Molly’s laugh was always a welcome and comforting sound, and it settled the churning in his gut. The flush that had creeped up the back of his neck, however, only deepened.

 

Molly continued to chatter, never bothered by Caleb’s awkward replies or silence when he didn’t know how to respond. They’d built up a comfortable rapport over the years, Caleb liked to think. Molly could comment on anything or everything he so pleased, and any response Caleb had or didn’t have was welcome. It was enough to make Caleb wonder what he’d ever done to deserve such a friend. Certainly nothing in this life. Perhaps he’d been a saint in a former life. That was the only true explanation for how he’d ended up with such a large number of friends who seemed to genuinely enjoy his company. That had been something that had taken Caleb a while to understand: that not one, but six people would actively seek out his presence and seemed happy with him around? Wild. Here he was, though, in the epicenter of a group of people who would blow up his phone until he agreed to hang out with them. But only if he really wanted to. And, surprisingly enough, he did, he really did.

 

“Caleb? Caleb, dear, you’re drifting,” Molly’s voice cut through his wandering thoughts.

 

“Hnn?” Caleb shook himself out of his own head and turned to find Molly gazing at him gently. It was enough to bring the fluttering back to his stomach; Molly had a way of looking at him that was so soft and open that it always took him off guard.

 

“You alright there? Not having second thoughts on pizza, are we?” The way Molly asked the question suggested that he wouldn’t judge if the answer were yes. Nevertheless, that wasn’t the case this time: quite the opposite, in fact.

 

“Oh, _nein_ , just… contemplating,” Caleb replied. Molly’s gripped tightened briefly on his forearm, a short, comforting squeeze.

 

“Ah, well, if you’re ready to be out of that head of yours, the group is just around the corner.” Caleb hadn’t even realized they’d stopped walking. Sure enough, he could hear Jester squealing intelligibly from around the corner, followed by Nott’s rough screeching and Fjord’s low rumble.

 

“ _Ja_ , _ja_ , I’m good.”

 

“Excellent,” Molly gave his arm a second squeeze before propelling them both forward and around the corner. “The party has arrived!” he announced with a flourish of his free hand.

 

“Molly! Caleb! You guys! I haven’t seen you in so long!” Jester yelled, elongating every vowel possible and punctuating her sentences with an excited bounce of her heels, causing her jewelry to sway and jingle in time with her movement. It was a wonder Caleb hadn’t heard her from a mile away, let alone just around the corner.

 

“You saw us just this afternoon,” Caleb reminded her, a smile quirking his lips.

 

“Yeah, but that was hours ago!” Jester immediately yanked them both forward by their linked arms. “Come on, come on. Let’s get pizza!”

 

“The pizza isn’t going anywhere, dear. You’re going to yank my arm off,” Molly chided her. Nott, who had been locked in some sort of minor disagreement with Fjord, finally turned to the new arrivals, her eyes flickering momentarily to their joined elbows before flitting back up to Caleb’s face.

 

“Caleb! You actually came!” Caleb would have been insulted if her slight surprise wasn’t completely warranted.

 

“Of course I did.” That didn’t mean Caleb wouldn’t pretend like it wasn’t. Nott just grinned up at him.

 

“Only because _someone_ dragged you out of that hole you call an apartment.” _That_ was entirely unfair. Luckily, Molly seemed too busy bickering politely with Jester to notice Caleb’s face turn scarlet.

 

“I would have come either way! I just… might have been a little… delayed. Frumpkin,” Caleb finished, his train of thought leaving him as he felt himself becoming increasingly flustered. There was really no reason for it. Molly often showed up at Caleb’s door to drag him outdoors, but the implication in Nott’s voice and the pointed gleam in her eyes was making him itch.

 

“Uh huh.” Nott stared at him, expression completely flat. There was something in that, a warning or a promise, and Caleb knew that she was going to corner him later and that some sort of conversation was to be had. He had no idea what, but it was definitely going to happen, and there would be no escaping it. He pulled his arm from Molly’s, briefly catching the glance Molly spared in his direction.

 

“Well, what are we waiting on?” Caleb diverted, wanting to ignore the awkwardness he felt creeping into his limbs.

 

“Beau and Yasha,” Fjord supplied this time. Caleb hadn’t even noticed the two women hadn’t arrived yet. He wasn’t usually this dense; perhaps he was coming down with something.

 

“Ah. Yes, that’ll do it,” he responded. Nott was still watching him very closely for some reason, and it was making him nervous. They’d been close friends long before they’d been absorbed into the rest of the group, and she was always very keen on whatever was going on with him. Sometimes, like now, she seemed to be more aware of what was happening with Caleb than he was. Maybe whatever she had to say later could be helpful. He had been feeling a little weird today. Suddenly, he felt rather cold.

 

“Perhaps we could wait inside, _ja_? It is chilly out here,” he offered. He’d become painfully aware of the cold during the last couple of seconds. Fjord nodded in agreement.

 

“Yeah, I’m with ya. I’m not warm blooded like the rest of these guys.” Fjord clapped a hand on Jester’s shoulder, “Hey, let’s wait inside. Caleb and I are cold.”

 

“You guy are just weak,” she accused playfully, following the group towards the restaurant. Molly stalked forward so he could grab the door for the group.

 

“After you, darlings.”

 

“Oh Molly, you do know how to treat a girl right.” Jester batted her eyelashes Molly bowed deeply, oozing flamboyance.

 

“Anything for you, love,” he added with a wink. Jester giggled, skipping inside. This was nothing new. Jester and Molly both flirted as a way of socializing. Something about it prickled Caleb’s skin, though. He really must be coming down with something.

 

Seating themselves, the group wandered over to one of the large circular booths at the back. Caleb ended up between Molly and Nott, his normal arrangement, while Molly ended up between him and Jester. Nott and Fjord were the bookends until Beau and Yasha arrived.

 

“I’m going to text them and let them know we’re inside,” Jester announced, already tapping at her phone screen. “They’re probably making out somewhere.”

 

“Oh, did they finally hook up?” Fjord questioned. Molly spoke up this time.

 

“Nah, but it’s only a matter of time at this point. If they’d just get their heads out of their asses.” Nott snorted at that for some reason, and the group turned to look at her.

 

“You guys are all idiots,” was all she replied before the waitress popped up at their table. By the time they’d ordered a round of drinks, Beau and Yasha still hadn’t made an appearance.

 

“Think I should call ‘em?” Fjord asked. Molly shrugged and Jester groaned, letting her head hit the table with a frustrated _clunk_.

 

“That is up to you. Who knows, maybe they finally got their shit together,” up until now, Caleb had spent the entire conversation a quiet bystander. He may not be good at social interactions, but he was very observant, and it was impossible to miss the way Beau padded after Yasha like a slightly feral puppy, or the way Yasha made more of an effort to show off her brute strength whenever Beau was around. It was nauseating sometimes, and the group had been dealing with their bullshit for the last two and a half years by now.

 

“Maybe they’re having _sex_ ,” Jester muttered helpfully into the table.

 

“Oh, I doubt it, look,” Molly pointed the group’s attention towards the door just in time to watch a frustrated looking Beau shoulder her way into the building. Some unlucky hostess had the poorly conceived idea of trying to talk to Beau, who, to her credit, only seemed to bark one string of profanities before storming towards their back table. “Well, this’ll be interesting,” Molly said and clapped his hands together in prepartion for whatever shitstorm was about to unfold.

 

With all the grace of angry rodeo bull, Beau threw herself into the seat next to Fjord, “Please tell me one of you assholes ordered a drink for me.”

 

“What happened? I thought you went to pick up Yasha,” Fjord’s question only caused the furrow between Beau’s brows to deepen impossibly further.

 

“I _was_ ,” was the curt reply.

 

“Well, where is she, then?” Molly asked. Yasha was his best friend, and if she hadn’t showed up when she said she would, something must have happened and he wanted to know what.

 

“Family emergency,” Beau muttered, glaring holes into the table in front of her.

 

“Ah,” that made sense. Yasha tended to have _family emergencies_ quite often. Her home life wasn’t the most ideal, and it often required that she made last second trips home to sort things out.

 

“It’s fuckin’ finals week, she shouldn’t have to deal with this crap right now.” Beau crossed her arms on the table and leaned down to rest her chin on them, “This sucks.” Fjord gave her a consolling pat on the back. Luckily, their drinks arrived in the next moment. Fjord, ever the good samaritan, handed Beau his beer and ordered himself another one. They were common enough patrons here that no one bothered to ID them anymore. The waitress took their food order and scurried back off to the kitchen.

 

“So,” Caleb decided it was his turn to break the tension before Beau’s dour mood spread to the rest of the group, “finals week, _ja_?” This was the wrong thing to say, apparently, because Beau immediately sank further into her seat, groaning along the way, while Jester’s face scrunched up in frustration.

 

“ _Ugh_ , if I have to look at one more stupid book, I’m going to gouge my eyes out,” Jester whined, “Sorry, Caleb,” she added as an afterthought.

 

“No worries, but just think, this is the second to last round of finals we’ll ever have to take,” Caleb insisted, trying to instill at least some bit of hope into his suddenly sullen friends. He may not be great with people, but getting the hell out of school was a common goal that they all shared.

 

“I’ll drink to that,” Molly added, clapping a hand to Caleb’s back as though showing support in his attempt at comfort. He very well could have been; Molly was very perceptive when it came to his friends.

 

“Speak for yourselves!” Nott piped up, “I still have an entire year before I’m out of this shithole.” She threw back her drink, gulping it down greedily. This was certainly going to be a night. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! Thank you so much for reading! The idea for this fic has been swimming around in my head for a couple of weeks now, and I’ve finally decided to put it on its feet. Originally this was going to be a decently long one shot, but I decided to submit as a multichapter to test the waters. Comments and kudos will help keep me going! I’m so excited to share this story with you all. I hope you enjoy :)


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